Donate to Hampstead Institute on Alabama Gives Day Feb. 2nd

On February 2, 2012 the Alabama Association of Nonprofits, in partnership with the Alabama Broadcasters Association, is taking one day to harness the power of individual contributions statewide. Never before in our state have Alabamians had the opportunity to come together in such a unique and synergized way to support hundreds of nonprofits like ours during a dedicated day of giving.

Alabama Gives Day aims to make history by connecting new and existing donors with hundreds of Alabama nonprofits in just 24 hours. Hampstead Institute needs your support to ensure that the citizens of our community are aware of this day of giving. Only through your support can we together make history and raise much needed funding to support numerous nonprofits located in our community! Will you please help raise awareness of Alabama Gives Day on February 2nd?

Residents in other communities that have organized a Gives Day have overwhelmingly shown their support through donations, and while the immediate benefit is huge, the ripple effects of giving have helped spur other philanthropic endeavors in those communities. According to organizers in Minnesota, Colorado, North Texas, Pittsburgh, Seattle and other communities with a Gives Day, a key ingredient to their success has been through the support of the local media. “Rarely do local TV, Radio and Newspaper groups have an opportunity to make such a large impact on behalf of dozens of nonprofits in their local communities in just one day,” said Russell A. Jackson, Gives Day Manager for Alabama. “Gives Day certainly makes for an interesting news story but it’s more than that. This is a day to help fuel the nonprofits that make our state such a great place to live and to help jumpstart their 2012.”

How does Alabama Gives Day work? On February 2nd, from midnight to 11:59pm, Alabamians will be driven to a dedicated online giving portal at www.alabamagivesday.org where they will choose to make a gift to one or more of the hundreds of participating nonprofits. “Donors will choose the nonprofit(s) they want to support from a list of 12 areas of interest, i.e. Children and Youth, Animals, Health, Environment, etc.,” said Jackson. “It’s all about connecting them to the missions they are most passionate about, and hopefully to a nonprofit they’ve never supported.”
 
“Connecting individual donors to nonprofits, while also promoting the safety and ease of online giving, is critical to helping our nonprofits be sustainable,” said John Stone, President and CEO for the Alabama Association of Nonprofits. “Never before has an event of this magnitude taken place in our state. This will be a defining moment for Alabama nonprofits participating in the event and the impact will be felt far and wide. We’ve seen what Minnesota, Colorado and other Gives Days have done, and with Alabama’s strong tradition of giving we believe that history can be made on February 2nd.”

Thanks for supporting the Hampstead Institute on Feb. 2nd!

Hampstead Institute begins new education programs in 2012

Hampstead Institute has developed a collaborative education program with the YMCA at Cleveland Ave.  This after-school program runs every day of the week during the school year and provides student from the West side of Montgomery hands-on gardening, cooking, and nutrition education.  The Institute has hired a horticultural therapist named Mark Bowen to develop and run the program.  We're hoping we can turn this into a year round program providing this high-impact education to as many students as possible!

CNU Council Comes to Montgomery

Council Highlights: Why You Shouldn't Miss It!

Victor Dover, Andres Duany and others will present a detailed critique of New Urbanism in the 21st Century at the next CNU Council with a candid look at how New Urbanism must adapt to the realities of the Great Economic Reset.

The work of Dover-Kohl, DPZ, HPE, Urban Advisors, Urban Advantage, and Zimmerman/Volk in Montgomery will form the backdrop, including the Downtown Master Plan and Code (2006), The Plan for Oak Park and Centennial Hill (2009), West Fairview Avenue Plan (2010), and Maxwell Boulevard Neighborhood Plan (2011).
 
The council will include tours of projects developed under the Downtown Master Plan and SmartCode form-based code, including Court Square Plaza, several restored historic structures, and new infill restaurants and businesses. Discussion will also involve proposed plans under development such as a redesigned Dexter Avenue, new mixed-use housing developments, and a landmark children’s museum and library at One Court Square.

Outside the Downtown tours shall include Lanier Place workforce housing neighborhood; the A&P Development, a mixed-use, infill courtyard development; and the traditional neighborhood developments of Hampstead and The Waters.

Edwin Marty To Head Institute as Executive Director

The Hampstead Institute and the City of Montgomery proudly announced the recruitment of Edwin Marty as excutive director of the local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. With extensive regional, national, and international experience in sustainable agriculture, Edwin will oversee everything from planning and educational programs, to community outreach and events at Hampstead Farms in East Montgomery and the newly opened Hampstead Institute Downtown Farm. While working as a garden editor for Southern Living magazine, Edwin founded the successful Jones Valley Urban Farm, a non-profit, educational and working production farm located in downtown Birmingham. Over Edwin's eight-year guidance, Jones Valley Urban Farm grew from a single vacant lot into a city-wide farm with 28 acres in production that provides food to Frank Stitt's nationally-recognized restaurants, youth nutrition gardening programs for thousands of Birmingham students, and gardening plots for low-income housing residents.